Chapter 71

"Alright, let's start the dungeon exploration. Since it's an undiscovered dungeon, we need to be cautious. If it feels even a bit too much, we'll turn back, so everyone be prepared for that."

Everyone nodded in response to Raidok's words.

Eva was slightly trembling at the sound of "undiscovered dungeon." It was hard to tell if it was from fear or excitement.

Raidok then placed his hand on Eva's shoulder.

"It's fine. No matter what happens, I'll protect everyone."

"Raidok-sama..."

Eva's tense face suddenly crumbled.

"Hey!? Raidok!?"

"Alright, let's go! Sollar and Camille, you're in the lead."

"Ah! ...Remember this! Let's go, Camille."

Before Sollar could snap at Raidok, Raidok quickly gave his instructions. Despite his dissatisfaction, Sollar started leading the way with Camille.

It was only natural for Sollar, who was accustomed to dungeons, to take the lead, unlike in the forest.

Still, Raidok... No, I won't say it. This natural-born charmer! Get lost!

And so, our dungeon exploration began!!

◆

The sunset was beautiful.

We had cleared the dungeon and were savoring the fresh air we hadn't breathed in a while.

Reifan immediately started preparing the camp, so Raidok and I began laying out the loot on a blanket.

"Not bad, I'd say."

"Yeah. It wasn't such a large dungeon."

"Getting mithril ingots was a great help."

"It would have been better if it were a mine, but that's asking for too much."

The dungeon was cleared in three days. We managed to collect most of the treasures inside.

Fortunately, it wasn't a large-scale dungeon, so we could explore all the way to the deepest part without turning back.

Reifan, who had stopped cooking, interjected with a look of exasperation.

"Both of you, clearing an unknown dungeon on your first try is a huge achievement!"

"It was just good luck!"

"I thought I was going to die when we entered the final room."

"The boss, the hydra, was a shock."

"Yeah. I didn't know hydras could grow that big. It must be a higher-level variant."

The hydra guarding the deepest part of the dungeon was unlike any we had seen before.

Not only was it enormous, but it had twenty-four heads, and when it spewed fire and ice breath, it was truly terrifying.

"That was a tough one."

"Craft, if you say it was tough, other adventurers would cry."

"Ah, yeah, maybe. With Raidok's fierce attack, it didn't take more than ten minutes. Thanks to Reifan's solid defense."

"Without healing potions, it would have been impossible."

"That's my job."

"Raidok-sama is so amazing..."

Eva's cool image, which had been shattered over the past three days, was now completely gone, and her eyes were filled with hearts. She didn't seem to notice Sollar's intense glare.

Well, let the lovebirds be.

Eva, who had been melting like ice cream, composed herself and turned to us.

"I never thought we would clear the dungeon on our first try. It's incredible."

*Snap*!

Yeah, I know.

"Yeah, it's thanks to you three sisters."

"Raidok-sama's party is so excellent that I don't think I contributed much."

"That's not true. Eva's magic was versatile and adaptable to any situation. Camille's exploration skills and precise combat support were commendable. With Marilyn's healing magic, Beppu could focus on support magic, and I didn't need to use attack magic, allowing me to focus on support."

"Craft's potions are amazing. Not just stamina potions, but mana potions too, so we could cast spells freely. It's not just our skills."

"We all used potions. It's also about our skills."

"Did I help Raidok-sama?"

"I guarantee it."

"If that's the case... I'm glad."

Eva's expression crumbled again as she sent hearts flying behind her.

Sollar! Stop sending me that scary aura!

"Reifan, what do you think of this dagger?"

Raidok pulled out a dagger he had found in the final room.

"Appraisal... Yeah, this dagger is definitely made of orichalcum!"

"Figures."

"Wow, really?"

I peered at the dagger, and sure enough, it felt like it had a mysterious magical power. It was definitely a magical metal.

When I appraised it, the dagger turned out to be a surprisingly powerful weapon.

"Most likely, this can deal normal damage to undead creatures."

"That's impressive. By the way, let's think about distribution later. How about Camille uses it until we get back to town?"

Raidok twirled the dagger in his hand and offered the grip to Camille. Camille glanced at Raidok and me for a moment, then silently took it and swung it a few times.

"At first glance, it looks like an ordinary dagger, but the weight balance is optimal. The way it cuts through the air indicates it has excellent sharpness. I can't tell about the magic, but I'm confident it can deal damage to non-physical entities. This is an amazing weapon. I'll borrow it."

"O-Okay."

Raidok and I were taken aback by Camille's words, which we had never heard before.

She was quiet, but when she spoke, it was like this. I was surprised.

"Wow! Camille's voice is so cool and awesome!"

"Shut up."

"Hey."

"Craft, did you figure out how to make orichalcum from that dagger?"

"Unfortunately, no. It might be a special ore."

"Finding an orichalcum mine would revolutionize the economy."

"Well, not a mine, but if we knew how to make it... hahaha."

"Either way, it's a big deal."

Reifan, who was tired, interjected. She's become our go-to for pointing out the obvious.

For the record, she was a great help in the dungeon.

She worked as a tank with Morda, found metal, and cooked. She might make a great wife.

Despite her appearance, she's older than me. I hope she finds a good person.

"Craft, are you thinking something rude?"

"Not at all."

I answered confidently. It's not rude.

"Then that's good... Let's have dinner then!"

"Sure! It's been a while since we've been above ground, so let's have a feast!"

"You were cooking in the dungeon just fine, weren't you?"

Eva pointed that out. I don't get it.

◆

The next day, we were charging ahead based on the general direction determined by Reifan's dowsing when Jitaro, who was leading, suddenly stopped.

We all stopped and looked around.

"What's wrong?"

"I feel something strange. It's coming from ahead... It'll be here soon."

"Everyone, get ready for battle!"

We were already in battle formation, so we just needed to pay attention to the front and form our ranks.

After a while, we heard rustling in the bushes, and someone rolled out in front of us.

"...Huh?"

"A beastman...? No, that's not right. It doesn't seem to be human."

What emerged from the bushes was a humanoid sub-species.

The sub-species, who had fallen to their knees, looked stunned at suddenly encountering us in the forest.

The sub-species was of a species we had never seen before, wearing wild ethnic clothing and holding a handmade spear.

The most distinctive feature was the tail. A scaly, reptilian tail extended from the coccyx.

But what caught the eye more was...

"Are you okay!? Beautiful lady! Grab my hand!"

"Eh? Eh?"

Yes, the sub-species was incredibly beautiful.

Perfect bust! Perfect hips!!! Healthy legs!!!

"...Craft, what are you looking at?"

"Just checking if she's hurt!"

I'm not lying! I'm not lying at all!!

I'm not thinking about her as another "boob girl" like Marilyn!!

"Jeez."

"Stop looking at me like that! More importantly, you seemed in a hurry. Did something happen?"

Seeing the beautiful girl, I remembered the lizardmen, an extinct species from long ago.

She had scaly skin on the back of her hands and shoulders.

"Human...? Why are you here?"

It seemed we had stumbled upon something big.